Making Sense of Marketing Decision Systems through Pictorial Representation: Decision System Analysis

Abstract

Decision system analysis is a conceptually simple technique that maps the process of group decisions over time. The data is gathered in a variety of ways, but most often some form of protocol analysis is the foremost tool. The data is then condensed and depicted as a flowchart for a specific decision. If several such flowcharts can be assembled within an industry, they can be melded together to form a generic guide that is very useful to practitioners and very interesting to theorists. Here, a brief history of the development of the technique leads to a description of the process. This is followed by a comparison to cognitive mapping (a similar technique applied to mapping thought processes rather than physical processes), and an illustrative longitudinal example of DSA.

Citation

Marshall, R., Bibby, D. and Na, W. (2014), "Making Sense of Marketing Decision Systems through Pictorial Representation: Decision System Analysis", Field Guide to Case Study Research in Business-to-business Marketing and Purchasing (Advances in Business Marketing and Purchasing, Vol. 21), Emerald Group Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 211-226. https://doi.org/10.1108/S1069-096420140000021007